Systems and methods for providing electromagnetic interference (EMI) compartment shielding for components disposed inside of system electronic packages

ABSTRACT

A system module package is disclosed. The system module package includes: a substrate; a first electrical component and a second electrical component disposed on a top surface of the substrate; and a plurality of bond wires disposed adjacent to at least a first side of the first electrical component and in between the first and second electrical components. The plurality of bond wires are configured to attenuate EMI of a frequency of interest traveling from the first electrical component toward the second electrical component, or from the second electrical component toward the first electrical component. Each of the plurality of bond wires has at least a first end that is mechanically coupled to the top surface of the substrate and has a highest point that is a height, H, from the top surface of the substrate. The plurality of bond wires is of substantially equal lengths measured from the top surface of the substrate to the highest points of the plurality of bond wires in a direction substantially normal to the top surface of the substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application under 37 C.F.R. §1.53(b) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/966,060 (hereafter “theparent application”) filed on Apr. 30, 2018, naming Ah Ron Lee, et al.as inventors. Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 is claimed from U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/966,060, and the entire disclosure of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/966,060 is specifically incorporatedherein by reference.

The parent application and the present application arecontinuation-in-part (CIP) applications under 37 C.F.R. § 1.53(b) ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/499,657 entitled “SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR PROVIDING ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE (EMI) SHIELDINGBETWEEN INDUCTORS OF A RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) MODULE,” filed on Apr. 27,2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 is also claimed from U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/499,657.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.More particularly, the invention relates to providing compartment EMIshielding for components that are contained within system electronicpackages.

BACKGROUND

A system-in-a-package (SiP) is a module package that contains aplurality of integrated circuit (IC) chips and/or other circuitcomponents (e.g., transistors, capacitors, indictors and resistors) thatare mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) of the SiP module package.Such module packages are commonly used in wireless devices, such assmart phones, for example. The module package typically includes asystem encapsulating mold compound (EMC) that encapsulates the IC chipsand other circuit components. The module package typically also includesa system EMI shield for reducing EMI emission from the module package.The system EMI shield is typically a conformal EMI shield formed on themodule package by using, for example, a metal sputtering process to forma metal coating that conforms to the outer surface of the system EMC.

While the system EMI shield is effective at reducing EMI emissions fromthe module package as a whole, it has no effect on EMI emissions withinthe module package. Some of the ICs and other circuit componentscontained within the module package comprise radio frequency (RF)functional blocks. These RF functional blocks emit EMI that caninterfere with the operations of other RF functional blocks within themodule package. For example, one of the IC chips of one of the RFfunctional blocks may be a multi-band power amplifier (PA) chipsupporting different modes of operation (e.g., Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), LongTerm Evolution (LTE), and Global System for Communication (GSM)/EnhancedData GSM Environment (EDGE)). Another of the IC chips of another of theRF functional blocks may be, for example, a multi-band low noiseamplifier (LNA) chip capable of supporting different modes of operation.

Without suitable EMI shielding of these RF functional blocks from oneanother, EMI emitted from one RF functional block may detrimentallyimpact the operations of another RF functional block. One known EMIshielding solution that is used for this purpose is anelectrically-conductive metal “can” that is placed over an RF functionalblock to reduce EMI emissions from the RF functional block. However,current trends to reduce the sizes of SiPs and/or to increase theamounts or types of functionality that are included in them have madethe use of electrically-conductive metal cans impractical due to theirsize and due to space constraints of environments in which the SiPs areused (e.g., smart phones).

Accordingly, a need exists for a compartment EMI shielding solution thatis effective at providing EMI shielding within a module package and thatis efficient in terms of space utilization and costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram from a top view of an electronicdevice that includes a compartment EMI shield in accordance with arepresentative embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram from a side view of a system modulepackage of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 that includes thecompartment EMI shield in accordance with a representative embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram from a perspective view of aconductive fence of the compartment EMI shield shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 inaccordance with a representative embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram from a side plan view of an exampleof one of the substantially vertical conductive structures of theportion of the conductive fence shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with arepresentative embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram from a top view of an electronicdevice that includes a compartment EMI shield in accordance with arepresentative embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram from a side view of a system modulepackage of the electronic device shown in FIG. 5 that includes thecompartment EMI shield in accordance with a representative embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram from a perspective view of aconductive fence of the compartment EMI shield shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 inaccordance with a representative embodiment.

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with a representative embodiment.

FIG. 9A illustrates a top perspective view of a portion of a systemmodule package surrounded by a compartment EMI shield in accordance withanother representative embodiment.

FIG. 9B illustrates a side enlarged view of a portion of the compartmentEMI shield shown in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A-10D illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with a representative embodiment.

FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with another representative embodiment.

FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with another representative embodiment.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with another representative embodiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates an end view of the system module packages shown inFIGS. 12B and 13B.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate side and top views, respectively, of asystem module package in accordance with another representativeembodiment that is substantially similar to the system module packagesshown in FIGS. 12B and 13B, respectively, but differs at least in thatthe substantially vertical conductive structures have first ends thatare in a first fence plane and second ends that are in a second fenceplane, where the first fence plane and the second fence plane aresubstantially parallel to one another.

FIG. 16 illustrates a top view of the portion of the system modulepackage shown in the dashed circle labeled with reference numeral 620 inFIG. 15B.

FIG. 17 illustrates a side view of one of the substantially verticalconductive structures shown in FIG. 9B.

FIG. 18 illustrates a side view of one of the substantially verticalconductive structures shown in FIG. 11C.

FIG. 19 illustrates a side view of one of the substantially verticalconductive structures shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 20 illustrates a side view of first and second substantiallyvertical conductive structures after the middle portions of thesubstantially vertical conductive structures shown in FIG. 14 have beenremoved via the aforementioned strip grinding process.

FIG. 21 illustrates a bottom view of the compartment EMI shield shown inFIGS. 5-7 in accordance with a representative embodiment in which thecompartment EMI shield comprises a wire cage.

FIG. 22A illustrates a side view of a system module package thatincorporates the wire cage shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 22B illustrates a side view of a system module package shown inFIG. 22A that incorporates the wire cage shown in FIG. 21 in accordancewith a representative embodiment in which the wire cage is in contactwith a top assembly EMI shield of the system module package.

FIG. 22C illustrates a side view of a system module package shown inFIG. 22A that incorporates the wire cage shown in FIG. 21 in accordancewith a representative embodiment in which the wire cage is spaced apartfrom the top assembly EMI shield of the system module package by apreselected distance.

FIG. 23 illustrates a top view of a portion of a system module packagehaving a substrate, a first electrical component of a first set ofelectrical components mounted on a top surface of the substrate, andhaving a plurality of semiconductor packages arranged along acompartment boundary and forming a conductive fence of a compartment EMIshield.

FIG. 24 illustrates a top view of the portion of the system modulepackage shown in FIG. 23 having a plurality of conductive horizontalbars having first and second ends that are electrically coupled torespective semiconductor packages arranged along the compartmentboundary.

FIG. 25 illustrates a side view of the portion of system module packageshown in FIG. 23 without the plurality of conductive horizontal barsshown in FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 illustrates an end view of the portion of system module packageshown in FIG. 24 that includes the plurality of conductive horizontalbars shown in FIG. 24.

FIG. 27A illustrates a side view of a system module package inaccordance with a representative embodiment that employs the compartmentEMI shield described above with reference to FIGS. 23-26 comprising thesemiconductor packages and the conductive horizontal bars.

FIG. 27B illustrates a side view of a system module package inaccordance with another representative embodiment that employs thecompartment EMI shield described above with reference to FIGS. 23-26comprising the semiconductor packages and the conductive horizontalbars.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with illustrative embodiments, a compartment EMI shield isprovided that is suitable for use in system module packages having thinform factors and/or smaller widths and/or lengths. The compartment EMIshield comprises a fence arranged along a compartment boundary at leastin between first and second sets of electrical components of the systemmodule package. In accordance with an embodiment, the compartment EMIshield further comprises a substantially horizontal conductive structurethat is coupled to the conductive fence. The compartment EMI shield isconfigured to attenuate EMI of a frequency of interest traveling in atleast one of a first direction and a second direction, where the firstdirection is from the first set of electrical components toward thesecond set of electrical components and the second direction is from thesecond set of electrical components toward the first set of electricalcomponents.

As the form factors of system module packages such as SiP modulepackages, for example, are becoming thinner (i.e., shorter in theZ-dimension), there is a need for compartment EMI shielding solutionsthat can be structured to accommodate the thinner form factors whilebeing effective at attenuating EMI of the frequency of interest. Inaddition, in many cases, the lengths (X-dimension) and/or widths(Y-dimension) of the system module packages are also decreasing.Therefore, in some cases, there is also a need for compartment EMIshielding solutions that can be structured to accommodate the smaller X-and/or Y-dimensions of the system module packages while being effectiveat sufficiently attenuating EMI of the frequency of interest. Thefollowing representative embodiments demonstrate examples of EMIshielding solutions having various structures that are capable ofmeeting these demands.

The aforementioned U.S. application Ser. No. 15/282,882 disclosesexamples of various compartment EMI shielding solutions. In someembodiments, the compartment EMI shielding solution comprises aplurality of electrically-conductive wires, each of which has oppositeends that are connected to a common electrical ground structure and aportion in between the opposite ends that passes over electricalcomponents of the module package without coming into contact with them.In cases in which system module packages have very thin form factors, itbecomes more difficult to ensure that the portions of the wires thatpass over the electrical components do not come into contact with themdue to the reduced space in between the top surfaces of the electricalcomponents and the top of an EMC of the module package. The followingrepresentative embodiments provide examples of EMI shielding solutionsthat overcome this difficulty and that provide additional features andadvantages.

It should also be understood that the word “example,” as used herein, isintended to be non-exclusionary and non-limiting in nature. Moreparticularly, the word “exemplary,” as used herein, indicates one amongseveral examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis orpreference is being directed to the particular example being described.It should also be understood that the word “exemplary,” as used herein,is intended to be non-exclusionary and non-limiting in nature.

The terminology used herein is for purposes of describing particularembodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. The defined termsare in addition to the technical, scientific, or ordinary meanings ofthe defined terms as commonly understood and accepted in the relevantcontext.

The terms “a,” “an” and “the” include both singular and pluralreferents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, forexample, “a device” includes one device and plural devices. The term“substantially” means to within limits or degrees acceptable to those ofskill in the art. For example, the term “substantially parallel to”means that a structure or device may not be made perfectly parallel tosome other structure or device due to tolerances or imperfections in theprocess by which the structures or devices are made. The term“approximately” means to within an acceptable limit or amount to one ofordinary skill in the art. Where a first device is said to be directlyconnected or directly coupled to a second device, this encompassesexamples where the two devices are connected together without anyintervening devices other than bonding material or devices. Where afirst device is said to be coupled to a second device, this encompassesexamples where the two devices are directly connected together withoutany intervening devices other than bonding material or devices andexamples where the first and second devices are connected to one anothervia one or more intervening devices. The term “conductive,” as that termis used herein, means electrically conductive and the term “conductivestructures,” as that term is used herein, means electrically-conductivestructures that act as electrical conductors.

Exemplary, or representative, embodiments will now be described withreference to the figures, in which like reference numerals representlike components, elements or features. It should be noted that features,elements or components in the figures are not intended to be drawn toscale, emphasis being placed instead on demonstrating inventiveprinciples and concepts.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram from a top view of an electronicdevice 1 that includes a system module package 10 having a compartmentEMI shield 20 in accordance with a representative embodiment. FIG. 2illustrates a block diagram from a side view of the system modulepackage 10 of the electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1 that includes thecompartment EMI shield 20 in accordance with a representativeembodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram from a perspective viewof a conductive fence 30 of the compartment EMI shield 20 shown in FIGS.1 and 2 in accordance with a representative embodiment. FIG. 4illustrates a block diagram from a side plan view of an example of oneof a plurality of substantially vertical conductive structures 31 of theportion of the conductive fence 30 shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with arepresentative embodiment.

The system module package 10 is mounted on and electricallyinterconnected with a system PCB 2 of the electronic device 1. Thesystem module package 10 includes an EMC 40 having an assembly EMIshield 50 on outer surfaces thereof. The compartment EMI shield 20comprises a conductive fence 30 disposed along a compartment boundarythat defines a first compartment 32 having a first set of electricalcomponents therein and separates the first compartment 32 from a secondcompartment 33 having a second set of electrical components therein. Forclarity, the first and second sets of electrical components are notshown in FIG. 1. The second compartment 33 is external to the firstcompartment 32. For illustrative purposes, the first set of electricalcomponents is shown in FIG. 2 as having only a first electricalcomponent 34 and the second set of electrical components is shown inFIG. 2 as having second and third electrical components 35 and 36respectively.

The conductive fence 30 extends laterally in at least one direction(e.g., X-direction and/or Y-direction) that is substantially parallel toa top surface 37 a of a substrate 37 of the system module package 10 andextends substantially vertically (i.e., in the Z-direction) relative tothe top surface 37 a of the substrate 37. It should be noted thatalthough FIGS. 1 and 2 depict the conductive fence 30 as a solid block,it typically comprises of a plurality of substantially verticalconductive structures, as will be described below in more detail. Theconductive fence 30 extends along at least one side of the firstelectrical component 34, which is mounted on a top surface 37 a of asubstrate 37 in the first compartment 32. As will be described below inmore detail, the conductive fence 30 may extend along multiple sides ofthe first electrical component 34 or it may extend along only a singleside of the first electrical component 34 in between the firstelectrical component 34 and the second and third electrical components35 and 36, respectively. In addition to including the conductive fence30, the compartment EMI shield 20 may include a bottom compartmentshield 38 that extends substantially parallel to the top surface 37 a ofthe substrate 37.

A bottom end 30 a of the conductive fence 30 is electrically andmechanically coupled to a conductive strip 52, which mechanicallycouples the conductive fence 30 to the top surface 37 a of the substrate37. The conductive strip 52 is at a common voltage potential andfunctions as a common electrical ground structure for providing a commonvoltage potential to the entirety of the conductive fence 30. Inaccordance with this representative embodiment, the conductive strip 52has a top surface 52 a that is coplanar with the top surface 37 a of thesubstrate 37. However, as will be described below in more detail, theconductive strip 52 may be an internal conductive strip disposed beneaththe top surface 37 a of the substrate 37 or it may be a separatestructure from the substrate 37 that is disposed on the top surface 37 aof the substrate 37.

Each of the first and second sets of electrical components has acomponent height corresponding to the tallest electrical component ofeach of the first and second sets measured from the top surface 37 a ofthe substrate 37 in a direction substantially normal to the top surface37 a of the substrate 37 to the top of the respective electricalcomponent. The conductive fence 30 has a fence height measured from thetop surface 37 a of the substrate 37 in a direction substantially normalto the top surface 37 a of the substrate 37 to the top of the conductivefence 30. The component heights are less than the fence height.

The assembly EMI shield 50 includes a top assembly EMI shield 50 a andfirst and second side assembly EMI shields 50 b and 50 c, respectively.In the representative embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conductivefence 30 is spaced apart from the top assembly EMI shield 50 a by apreselected distance, but in other embodiments, the conductive fence 30is in contact with the top assembly EMI shield 50 a, as will bedescribed below in more detail. In such case, the conductive fence 30and the top assembly EMI shield 50 a are two distinct, or physicallyseparated structures, but are in physical contact with one another toestablish an electrical coupling between them.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conductive fence 30 extends substantiallyvertically relative to the top surface 37 a of the substrate 37, i.e.,substantially normal to the top surface 37 a of the substrate 37. Theconductive fence 30 is configured to attenuate EMI of a frequency ofinterest traveling in at least one of a first direction and a seconddirection, where the first direction is from the first set of electricalcomponents toward the second set of electrical components and the seconddirection being from the second set of electrical components toward thefirst set of electrical components.

The conductive fence 30 may be constructed in a number of ways, examplesof which are described with reference to FIGS. 8A-27B. The conductivefence 30 typically comprises a plurality of substantially verticalconductive structures 31 having first ends 31 a that are electricallycoupled to the top surface 52 a of the conductive strip 52 and secondends 31 b that are a preselected distance away from the respective firstends 31 a such that the substantially vertical conductive structures 31are of a vertical length, L_(V). Typically, all of the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 31 are of substantially equal lengthL_(V), although they may vary slightly in length due to tolerancevariations in the process by which they are made. Adjacent substantiallyvertical conductive structures 31 are spaced apart from one another by apitch, P. The pitch P is preselected based at least in part on thefrequency of interest or frequency range of interest of EMI that thecompartment EMI shield 20 is intended to attenuate. For example, asystem module assembly for processing signals at a frequency of 1 GHzmay need to attenuate noise at higher frequency such as 10 GHz orhigher. The pitch P suitable for attenuating EMI of such higherfrequencies is usually substantially lower than the wavelength of theEMI having the higher frequencies which may be a few centimeters. Thepitch P suitable for this example may be between a lower limit of 10microns and a higher limit of 500 microns. The lower limit is usuallydetermined by the precision of manufacturing equipment, which limits howclose two adjacent substantially vertical conductive structures 31 canbe put together. In accordance with a representative embodiment, thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 31 are bond wires formedvia a wire bonding process. The substantially vertical conductivestructures 31 may be, for example, electrical bond wires, conductiverails, conductive leads of a semiconductor package, conductive plates ofa semiconductor package, or combinations thereof, as will be describedbelow in more detail.

With reference to FIG. 4, the substantially vertical conductivestructures 31 are not perfectly vertical, but rather, have a highestpoint 31 c that is at a height, H, from the top surface 37 a of thesubstrate 37 in a direction substantially normal to the top surface 37 aof the substrate 37 that is at least twice as great as a lateraldistance, D_(L), of the highest point 31 c from a center 31 d of thefirst end 31 a of the respective substantially vertical conductivestructure 31 in a direction substantially parallel to the top surface 37a of the substrate 37. In accordance with an embodiment, the height, H,is at least four times as great as the lateral distance, D_(L). Inembodiments in which the plurality of substantially vertical conductivestructures 31 corresponds to a plurality of bond wires, the bond wiresmay have wavy patterns or shapes, and may be arranged in a synchronizedmanner. For example, the bond wires may be slightly bent, as shown inFIG. 4, while meeting the aforementioned height H-to-lateral distanceD_(L) definition. For example, the bond wires may have a top portionthat may bend outwardly, inwardly and/or laterally. In yet anotherembodiment, each bond wire may have both ends connected to the substrate37 with the middle portion of the bond wire extending along the fenceplane to form the conductive fence 30, as will be described below inmore detail with reference to FIGS. 12A-16.

The plurality of substantially vertical conductive structures 31 areelectrically connected to the conductive strip 52, which provides acommon voltage potential to all of the substantially vertical conductivestructures 31 so as not to induce an electric field between thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 31.

As indicated above, the compartment EMI shield 20 may be disposed at apreselected distance away from the top assembly EMI shield 50 a or itmay be in contact with the compartment EMI shield 20. The top assemblyEMI shield 50 a may be, for example, a coating of metal that is formedon the EMC 40 (e.g., via a sputtering process), whereas thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 31 may be substantiallyvertical bond wires. The bond wires may be in physical contact with thetop assembly EMI shield 50 a to establish an electrical coupling betweenthe bond wires and the top assembly EMI shield 50 a. In such cases, thesecond ends 31 b may be thickened to establish a good electricalconnection with the top assembly EMI shield 50 a. In anotherrepresentative embodiment, the second ends 31 b may be flattened tofacilitate electrical coupling between the bond wires and the topassembly EMI shield 50 a.

In cases where the second ends 31 b are spaced apart by a gap from thetop assembly EMI shield 50 a, the size of the gap is typically equal to,or nearly equal to, the pitch P between adjacent substantially verticalconductive structures 31 so as to attenuate EMI of the frequency orfrequency range of interest.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram from a top view of an electronicdevice 60 that includes a system module package 70 having a compartmentEMI shield 80 in accordance with a representative embodiment. FIG. 6illustrates a block diagram from a side view of the system modulepackage 70 of the electronic device 60 shown in FIG. 5 that includes thecompartment EMI shield 80 in accordance with a representativeembodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram from a perspective viewof the compartment EMI shield 80 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in accordancewith a representative embodiment.

The system module package 70 includes an EMC 82 that encapsulates thecomponents of the system module package 70, including the compartmentEMI shield 80 and any other components that are mounted on a top surface77 a of a substrate 77 of the system module package 70, as will bedescribed below in more detail with reference to FIG. 6. The EMC 82 hasan assembly EMI shield 83 disposed on it or in it.

In accordance with this embodiment, the compartment EMI shield 80comprises the conductive fence 81 and further comprises a substantiallyhorizontal conductive structure 85 that is coupled to conductive fence81. The conductive fence 81 extends along a compartment boundary atleast in between first and second sets of electrical components of thesystem module package 70 and extends substantially normal to a topsurface 77 a of a substrate 77 of the system module package 70. Thesubstantially horizontal conductive structure 85 extends substantiallyparallel to the top surface 77 a of the substrate 77 and is disposedabove the top surface 77 a of the substrate 77.

The compartment boundary along which the conductive fence 81 extendsdefines a first compartment 86 and a second compartment 87, which isexternal to the first compartment 86. The first set of electricalcomponents is disposed within the first compartment 86 and includes atleast a first electrical component 91. The second set of electricalcomponents is disposed within the second compartment 87 and includes atleast a second electrical component 92, but in accordance with thisrepresentative embodiment is shown to also include a third electricalcomponent 93. The compartment EMI shield 80 is configured to attenuateEMI of a frequency of interest traveling in at least one of a firstdirection from the first electrical component 91 toward the second andthird electrical components 92 and 93, respectively, and a seconddirection from the second and third electrical components 92 and 93,respectively, toward the first electrical component 91.

The EMC 82 encapsulates the first, second and third electricalcomponents 91, 92 and 93, respectively, and the compartment EMI shield80. The conductive fence 81 is electrically coupled to a commonelectrical ground structure 94, which in this embodiment is a conductivestrip having a top surface 94 a that is coplanar with the top surface 77a of the substrate 77. The compartment EMI shield 74 may have anoptional bottom EMI shield 96. In accordance with this representativeembodiment, the assembly EMI shield 83 disposed on the EMC 82 comprisesa top assembly EMI shield 83 a and first and second side assembly EMIshields 83 b and 83 c, respectively.

With reference to FIG. 7, the substantially horizontal conductivestructure 85 of the compartment EMI shield 80 comprises at least oneconductive horizontal bar 97 and the conductive fence 81 comprises atleast one of, and typically a plurality of, substantially verticalconductive structures 98 that are coupled to the conductive horizontalbar 97. The conductive horizontal bar 97 has first and second ends 97 aand 97 b, respectively. The substantially vertical conductive structures98 have first and second ends 98 a and 98 b, respectively. The firstends 98 a are electrically coupled to the common electrical groundstructure 94 (FIG. 6). The second end 98 b of at least a firstsubstantially vertical conductive structure 98′ of the plurality ofsubstantially vertical conductive structures 98 is coupled to the firstend 97 a of the conductive horizontal bar 97.

The second end 97 b of the conductive horizontal bar 97 may be leftdisconnected from the substantially vertical conductive structures 98,i.e., the conductive horizontal bar 97 may be cantilevered from thefirst substantially vertical conductive structure 98′, or the second end97 b may be coupled to the second end 98 b of a second substantiallyvertical conductive structure 98″ of the plurality of substantiallyvertical conductive structures 98, as shown in FIG. 7. The compartmentEMI shield 80 is configured to attenuate EMI of a frequency of interesttraveling in at least one of a first direction from the first electricalcomponent 91 toward the second and third electrical components 92 and93, respectively, and a second direction from the second and thirdelectrical components 92 and 93, respectively, toward the firstelectrical component 91.

As will be described below in more detail with reference to FIGS.21-27B, the substantially vertical conductive structures 98 may bearranged in various suitable configurations and may have varioussuitable forms. In accordance with one representative embodiment, thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 98 are respectivesemiconductor packages arranged along a compartment boundary and formingthe conductive fence 81 that separates the first compartment 86 from thesecond compartment 87, as will be described below in more detail withreference to FIGS. 23-27B. In accordance with this representativeembodiment, the substantially horizontal conductive structure 85comprises one or more of the conductive horizontal bars 97.

In accordance with another representative embodiment, the substantiallyhorizontal conductive structure 85 comprises a conductive base formed ofa plurality of the conductive horizontal bars 97. In accordance withthis representative embodiment, the conductive fence 81 comprisesconductive rails having ends that are coupled to the conductive base.The conductive base and the conductive rails are assembled as apre-formed wire cage that is subsequently installed in the system modulepackage 70 as the compartment EMI shield 80. Once the pre-formed wirecage has been installed, the conductive base is located above the firstcompartment 86 and has a bottom surface that is substantially parallelto the top surface 77 a of the substrate 77 and the conductive rails aredirectly or indirectly coupled to the substrate 77. This embodiment isdescribed below in detail with reference to FIGS. 21-22C.

FIG. 8A-8C illustrate side views of a portion of a system module package100 during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shield inaccordance with a representative embodiment. FIG. 8A depicts a substrate101 of the system module package 100 having a top surface 101 a on whichfirst and second electrical components 102 and 103, respectively, offirst and second sets of electrical components, respectively, aremounted using a known surface mount technology (SMT) process. The firstand second sets of electrical components include the first and secondelectrical components 102 and 103, respectively, but may also includeadditional components, such as additional passive or active electricalor electronic components, for example.

During the SMT process, the first and second electrical components 102and 103, respectively, are mounted at preselected locations on the topsurface 101 a of the substrate 101 and a solder reflow process isperformed to form electrical bonds between respective sets of electricalcontacts disposed on the top surface 101 a of the substrate 101 andfirst and second sets of electrical connection elements 105 and 106,respectively (e.g., solder balls). The first and second sets ofelectrical connection elements 105 and 106, respectively, are in contactwith respective electrical contacts of the first and second electricalcomponents 102 and 103, respectively. Prior to the SMT processes beingperformed, electrical contacts 107 and a solder mask 108 are typicallyformed on the bottom surface 101 b of the substrate 101. The solder mask108 comprises dielectric material that is disposed in between theelectrical contacts 107.

The substrate 101 may be, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB),such as a multi-layer PCB, for example. The inventive principles andconcepts are not limited with respect to the type of substrate 101 thatis used or with respect to the type of electrical components that aremounted on the substrate 101. The term “electrical component,” as thatterm is used herein, denotes any passive or active electrical,electronic or optoelectronic component. Although the compartment EMIshield is being described herein with reference to its use in systemmodule packages, the compartment EMI shield is not limited to being usedin system module packages, but may be used in any type of package orassembly. The term “system module package,” as that term is used herein,denotes an electronic or electrical assembly having at least first andsecond electrical components mounted on a substrate that may benefit inbeing EMI-shielded from one another.

As part of the SMT process or as part of a separate process, a commonelectrical ground structure 111 is formed in or on the substrate 101.The common electrical ground structure 111 is shown in FIGS. 8A-8C asbeing disposed on the top surface 101 a of the substrate 101, but itcould instead be disposed beneath the top surface 101 a of the substrate101, or partially above and partially beneath the top surface 101 a ofthe substrate 101. If the common electrical ground structure 111 isformed on the top surface 101 a of the substrate 101, it may be placedat preselected locations on the top surface 101 a of the substrate 101during the SMT processes. In other words, the common electrical groundstructure 111 may comprise one or more surface-mount components that canbe mounted via a pick-and-place SMT process, which typically involvesthe use of known machine vision technology to mount components atprecise locations relative to one or more fiducials. If the commonelectrical ground structure 111 is formed beneath the top surface 101 aof the substrate 101, or partially above and partially beneath the topsurface 101 a of the substrate 101, it may be, for example, a patternedmetal layer formed via photolithographic processes. The commonelectrical ground structure 111 is typically a conductive strip that hastop and bottom surfaces that are substantially parallel to one anotherand to the top surface 101 a of the substrate 101.

FIG. 8B depicts the portion of the system module package 100 shown inFIG. 8A after a fence comprising a plurality of substantially verticalconductive structures 112 has been formed along a compartment boundarythat extends about the first electrical component 102. Adjacentsubstantially vertical conductive structures 112 of the plurality ofsubstantially vertical conductive structures 112 are separated by apitch, P, that is preselected to ensure attenuation EMI of a frequencyof interest. The pitch P is typically less than 500 microns. The fencecomprising the plurality of substantially vertical conductive structures112 defines a first compartment in which the first set of electricalcomponents is mounted. For clarity, the plurality substantially verticalconductive structures 112 are shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C disposed on twoopposite sides of the first electrical component 102, but the fencecomprising the substantially vertical conductive structures 112 may bedisposed adjacent a single side of the first electrical component 102 inbetween the first and second electrical components 102 and 103,respectively, adjacent two or more sides of the first electricalcomponent 102, or it may extend around the entirety of the firstelectrical component 102 such that the fence is adjacent all four sidesof the first electrical component 102 and is spaced apart therefrom apreselected distance in X- and Y-directions of an X, Y, Z Cartesiancoordinate system. Similarly, the common electrical ground structure 111may extend around the entirety of the compartment boundary surroundingthe first electrical component 102 and other additional electricalcomponents (not shown) in the first compartment 32 as illustrated inFIGS. 1-2.

The substantially vertical conductive structures 112 have first ends 112a that are mechanically coupled to the top surface 101 a of thesubstrate 101 via the common electrical ground structure 111 and secondends 112 b that are disposed a preselected distance above the respectivefirst ends 112 a in the Z-direction of the X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinatesystem shown in FIGS. 8A-8C. The first ends 112 a are mechanically andelectrically coupled to the common electrical ground structure 111. Theterm “substantially vertical,” as that term is used herein, meanssubstantially normal to the top surface 101 a of the substrate 101. Thetop surface 101 a of the substrate 101 is substantially planar and issubstantially parallel to the X-Y plane of the X, Y, Z Cartesiancoordinate system. The substantially vertical conductive structures 112are substantially parallel to the Z-axis.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the fence comprising thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 112 does not pass over thetop of the first electrical component 102. Reference numeral 115represents the compartment EMI shield, which comprises the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 112 mechanically and electrically coupledon their first ends 112 a to the common electrical ground structure 111.Because the compartment EMI shield 115 does not pass over the top of thefirst electrical component 102, there is no risk of the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 112 coming into contact with the firstelectrical component 102. This feature also allows the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 112 to be placed closer to the firstelectrical component 102 in the X- and Y-directions and to be relativelyshort in height, i.e., in the Z-direction, which, in turn, allows thecompartment EMI shield 115 to be used in system module packages thathave thin form factors (thin in the Z-dimension), that have shortlengths (X-dimension) and that have short widths (Y-dimension).

The substantially vertical conductive structures 112 have a length inthe Z-direction that is less than or equal to 4 millimeters (mm) andgreater than the height of the tallest (Z-dimension) electricalcomponent of the first set of electrical components. Preferably, thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 112 have a length in theZ-direction that is less than or equal to 1.5 times the height of thetallest electrical component of the first set of electrical components.The maximum length of the substantially vertical conductive structures112 is always less than the height (Z-dimension) of the system modulepackage 100. As will be described below in more detail with reference toFIGS. 9A and 9B, adjacent substantially vertical conductive structures112 are separated by a pitch, P, that is preselected based at least inpart on the frequency of interest or frequency range of interest thatthe compartment EMI shield is intended to attenuate.

With reference to FIG. 8C, after the SMT process has been completed andthe compartment EMI shield 115 has been formed, an EMC 117 is formed onthe top surface 101 a of the substrate 101 to encapsulate the componentsthat are mounted on the top surface 101 a, including the first andsecond electrical components 102 and 103, respectively, and thecompartment EMI shield 115. A top assembly EMI shield 118 is formed onthe outer surface of the EMC 117. Optionally, the top assembly EMIshield 118 may comprise at least one side assembly EMI shield so as tocover the entire EMC on the substrate 101. In accordance with thisrepresentative embodiment, the top assembly EMI shield 118 is spacedapart from the second ends 112 b of the substantially verticalconductive structures 112 in the Z-direction by a preselected distance,d1, but is electrically coupled to the common electrical groundstructure 111. The preselected distance is preselected based on afrequency of interest or frequency range of interest that thecompartment EMI shield 513 is intended to attenuate. The preselecteddistance d1 is typically equal to, or nearly equal to, the pitch P.

In accordance with a representative embodiment, the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 112 are bond wires formed during a wirebonding process. The process of assembling the system module package 100is typically as follows. Wafer-level semiconductor processes are used toform the substrate 101 having the electrical contacts 107 and the soldermask 108 formed on the bottom surface 101 b thereof. The aforementionedSMT process is then performed. A vertical wire bonding process is thenperformed to form the compartment EMI shield 115. A molding process isthen performed to form the EMC 117 that encapsulates the first andsecond electrical components 102 and 103, respectively, and thecompartment EMI shield 115. The top assembly EMI shield 118 is thenformed on the outer surface of the EMC 117.

FIG. 9A illustrates a top perspective view of a portion of a systemmodule package 200 having a compartment EMI shield 210 in accordancewith a representative embodiment. In the representative embodiment shownin FIG. 9A, the EMC and the top assembly EMI shield have not yet beenformed in order to allow the configuration of the compartment EMI shield210 to be seen. FIG. 9B illustrates a side enlarged view of the portionof the compartment EMI shield 210 shown in the dashed circle 211 in FIG.9A. In accordance with this representative embodiment, the first andsecond sets of electrical components 212 and 213, respectively, comprisefirst and second pluralities of electrical components, respectively.

The compartment EMI shield 210 comprises a plurality of substantiallyvertical conductive structures 215 arranged along a compartment boundary216 that defines a first compartment and comprising a fence that extendsat least in between the first and second sets of electrical components212 and 213, respectively. In accordance with this embodiment, the fenceextends about the entire first set of electrical components 212. Firstends 215 a (FIG. 9B) of adjacent the plurality of substantially verticalconductive structures 215 are spaced apart from one another by a pitch,p1, (FIG. 9B) that is preselected to ensure that the compartment EMIshield 210 attenuates EMI of a frequency of interest traveling from thefirst set of electrical components 212 toward the second set ofelectrical components 213, and vice versa. The first ends 215 a aremechanically coupled to the top surface 201 a of the substrate 201 viathe common electrical ground structure 218. The first ends 215 a aremechanically and electrically coupled to the common electrical groundstructure 218.

In accordance with this embodiment, the compartment boundary 216coincides with a common electrical ground structure 218 that issubstantially rectangular in shape and that has a top surface 218 a(FIG. 9B) that is substantially parallel to a top surface 201 a of asubstrate 201 of the system module package 200. The common electricalground structure 218 is a conductive strip that extends about theperiphery of the first set of electrical components 212 and that isspaced apart in the X- and Y-directions from the electrical componentsof the first set of electrical components 212 by a preselected distance.The plurality of substantially vertical conductive structures 215 aresubstantially normal to the top surface 201 a of the substrate 201 andare of substantially equal lengths measured from the top surface 201 aof the substrate in a direction substantially normal to the top surface201 a of the substrate 201.

The plurality of substantially vertical conductive structures 215 arenot perfectly vertical due to the use of the vertical wire bondingprocess by which they are made. The plurality of substantially verticalconductive structures 215 have first ends 215 a that are electricallyand mechanically coupled to the common electrical ground structure 218and second ends 215 b that are spaced apart a predetermined distancefrom the respective first ends 215 a in the Z-direction. The pluralityof substantially vertical conductive structures 215 are “substantiallyvertical” in that the highest point on each vertical conductivestructure 215 is at a height, H, from the top surface 201 a of thesubstrate 201 measured in a direction substantially normal (Z-direction)to the top surface 201 a of the substrate 201 that is at least twice asgreat as the lateral distance, D_(L), of the highest point from a centerof the first end 215 a of the vertical conductive structure 215 measuredin a direction substantially parallel to the top surface 201 a of thesubstrate 201, as will be described below in more detail with referenceto FIG. 17. Each of the second ends 215 b comprises a tail portion thathas the narrowest width of any other portion of the respectivesubstantially vertical conductive structure 215. The tail portions maybe formed during a process of clipping the vertical bond wires toprovide them with similar or equal lengths (Z-direction). While the tailportions are shown in FIG. 9B as facing in the same direction, they mayface in different directions. The tail portions may face inwardly,outwardly and/or laterally relative to the first set of electricalcomponents 212.

The first ends 215 a of the plurality of substantially verticalconductive structures 215 may be directly electrically and mechanicallyconnected to the common electrical ground structure 218 or they may bedirectly connected to respective electrical bond pads (not shown) of thetype that are normally used in wire bonding processes. In the lattercase, the electrical bond pads electrically and mechanically couple thefirst ends 215 a to the common electrical ground structure 218.

FIGS. 10A-10D illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage 300 during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with a representative embodiment. FIG. 10A depictsa substrate 301 of the system module package 300 having a top surface301 a on which first and second electrical components 302 and 303,respectively, of first and second sets of electrical components,respectively, are mounted using a known SMT process. The first andsecond sets of electrical components include the first and secondelectrical components 302 and 303, respectively, but may also includeadditional components, such as additional passive or active electricalor electronic components, for example.

During the SMT process, the first and second electrical components 302and 303, respectively, are mounted at preselected locations on the topsurface 301 a of the substrate 301 and a solder reflow process isperformed to form electrical bonds between respective sets of electricalcontacts disposed on the top surface 301 a of the substrate 301 andfirst and second sets of electrical connection elements 305 and 306,respectively (e.g., solder balls). The first and second sets ofelectrical connection elements 305 and 306, respectively, are in contactwith respective electrical contacts of the first and second electricalcomponents 302 and 303, respectively. Prior to the SMT processes beingperformed, electrical contacts 307 and a solder mask 308 are typicallyformed on the bottom surface 301 b of the substrate 301. The solder mask308 comprises dielectric material that is disposed in between theelectrical contacts 307.

As part of the SMT process or as part of a separate process, a commonelectrical ground structure 311 is formed in or on the substrate 301.The common electrical ground structure 311 is shown in FIGS. 10A-10D asbeing disposed on the top surface 301 a of the substrate 301, but itcould instead be disposed beneath the top surface 301 a of the substrate301, or partially above and partially beneath the top surface 301 a ofthe substrate 301.

FIG. 10B depicts the portion of the system module package 300 shown inFIG. 10A after a fence comprising substantially vertical conductivestructures 312 has been formed along a compartment boundary that definesa first compartment in which the first electrical component 302 ismounted. For clarity, the substantially vertical conductive structures312 shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C are disposed on two opposite sides of thefirst electrical component 302, but the fence comprising thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 312 may be disposedadjacent a single side of the first electrical component 302 in betweenthe first and second electrical components 302 and 303, respectively, orit may extend about the entirety of the first electrical component 302such that it is adjacent all four sides of the first electricalcomponent 302 and is spaced apart from it a preselected distance in theX- and Y-directions of the X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinate system.

The substantially vertical conductive structures 312 have first ends 312a that are mechanically and electrically coupled to the commonelectrical ground structure 311 and second ends 312 b that are disposeda preselected distance above the respective first ends 312 a in theZ-direction of the X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinate system shown in FIGS.10A-10D. The first ends 312 a are mechanically coupled to the topsurface 301 a of the substrate 301 via the common electrical groundstructure 311. The top surface 301 a of the substrate 301 issubstantially planar and is substantially parallel to the X-Y plane ofthe X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinate system. The substantially verticalconductive structures 312 are substantially parallel to the Z-axis. Thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 312 have the samecharacteristics as the substantially vertical conductive structures 112shown in FIGS. 8A-8C and 9B.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the fence comprising thesubstantially vertical conductive structures 312 does not pass over thetop of the first electrical component 302. Reference numeral 315represents the compartment EMI shield, which comprises the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 312 mechanically and electrically coupledon their first ends 312 a to the common electrical ground structure 311.Because the compartment EMI shield 315 does not pass over the top of thefirst electrical component 302, there is no risk of the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 312 coming into contact with the firstelectrical component 302. This feature also allows the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 312 to be placed closer to the firstelectrical component 302 in the X- and Y-directions and to be relativelyshort in height, i.e., in the Z-direction, which, in turn, allows thecompartment EMI shield 315 to be used in system module packages thathave thin form factors (thin in the Z-dimension), that have shortlengths (X-dimension) and that have short widths (Y-dimension).

With reference to FIG. 10C, after the SMT process has been completed andthe compartment EMI shield 115 has been formed, e.g., via a wire bondingprocess, an EMC 317 is formed on the top surface 301 a of the substrate301 to encapsulate the components that are mounted on the top surface301 a, including the first and second electrical components 302 and 303,respectively, and the compartment EMI shield 315. At this point in theprocess, a top surface 317 a of the EMC 317 is separated by a gap fromthe second ends 312 b of the substantially vertical conductivestructures 312.

With reference to FIG. 10D, a strip grinding process is performed tothin the EMC 317 to eliminate the gap such that the second ends 312 b ofthe substantially vertical conductive structures 312 are exposed throughthe top surface 317 a of the EMC 317. A top assembly EMI shield 318 isformed on the top surface 317 a of the EMC 317. In accordance with thisrepresentative embodiment, the top assembly EMI shield 318 is in directcontact with the second ends 312 b of the substantially verticalconductive structures 312. This obviates the need to electrically couplethe top assembly EMI shield 318 to the common electrical groundstructure 311.

In accordance with a representative embodiment, the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 312 are bond wires formed during a wirebonding process. The process of assembling the system module package 300is typically as follows. Wafer-level semiconductor fabrication processesare used to form the substrate 301 having the electrical contacts 307and the solder mask 308 formed on the bottom surface 301 b thereof. Theaforementioned SMT process is then performed. A vertical wire bondingprocess is then performed to form the compartment EMI shield 315. Amolding process is then performed to form the EMC 317 that encapsulatesthe first and second electrical components 302 and 303, respectively,and the compartment EMI shield 315. The strip grinding process is thenperformed to expose the second ends 312 b of the compartment EMI shield315 through the top surface 317 a of the EMC 317. The top assembly EMIshield 318 is then formed on the top surface 317 a of the EMC 317.

FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage 400 during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with another representative embodiment. If thereis sufficient space in the X- and Y-directions to form bond wires thatextend over the first set of electrical components without coming intocontact with them, a typical wire bonding process can be used to createthe compartment EMI shield, as will now be described with reference toFIGS. 11A-11D. FIG. 11A depicts a substrate 401 of the system modulepackage 400 having a top surface 401 a on which first and secondelectrical components 402 and 403, respectively, of first and secondsets of electrical components, respectively, are mounted using a knownSMT process. The first and second sets of electrical components includethe first and second electrical components 402 and 403, respectively,but may also include additional components, such as additional passiveor active electrical or electronic components, for example.

During the SMT process, the first and second electrical components 402and 403, respectively, are mounted at preselected locations on the topsurface 401 a of the substrate 401 and a solder reflow process isperformed to form electrical bonds between respective sets of electricalcontacts disposed on the top surface 401 a of the substrate 401 andfirst and second sets of electrical connection elements 405 and 406,respectively (e.g., solder balls). The first and second sets ofelectrical connection elements 405 and 406, respectively, are in contactwith respective electrical contacts of the first and second electricalcomponents 402 and 403, respectively. Prior to the SMT processes beingperformed, electrical contacts 407 and a solder mask 408 are typicallyformed on the bottom surface 401 b of the substrate 401. The solder mask408 comprises dielectric material that is disposed in between theelectrical contacts 407.

As part of the SMT process or as part of a separate process, a commonelectrical ground structure 411 is formed in or on the substrate 401.The common electrical ground structure 411 is shown in FIGS. 11A-11D asbeing disposed on the top surface 401 a of the substrate 401, but itcould instead be disposed beneath the top surface 401 a of the substrate401, or partially above and partially beneath the top surface 401 a ofthe substrate 401.

FIG. 11B depicts the portion of the system module package 400 shown inFIG. 11A after a fence comprising a plurality of bond wires 412 has beenformed along a compartment boundary that defines a first compartment ofthe first electrical component 402. The fence comprising the pluralityof bond wires 412 will ultimately become the compartment EMI shield. Thebond wires 412 are typically formed via a known wire bonding processthat is performed after the SMT process has been performed. Inaccordance with this representative embodiment, the bond wires 412 havefirst ends 412 a and second ends 412 b that are electrically coupled tothe common electrical ground structure 411 adjacent first and secondsides, respectively, of the first electrical component 402 that areopposite one another. The first ends 412 a are mechanically coupled tothe top surface 401 a of the substrate 401 via the common electricalground structure 411.

Although only one bond wire 412 is visible in the side view shown inFIG. 11B, there is typically a first plurality of the bond wires 412having first ends 412 a and second ends 412 b that are electricallycoupled to the common electrical ground structure 411 adjacent the firstand second sides, respectively, of the first electrical component 402.There may also be a second plurality of the bond wires (not shown)having first and second ends that are electrically coupled to the commonelectrical ground structure 411 adjacent the third and fourth sides,respectively, of the first electrical component 402 that are oppositeone another. In between the first ends 412 a and the second ends 412 bof the bond wires 412 are middle portions 412 c that extend over thefirst electrical component 402.

After the SMT and wire bonding processes have been performed, an EMC 417is formed to encapsulate the first and second components 402 and 403,respectively, and the bond wires 412. The EMC 417 has a top surface 417a that is separated from the bond wires 412 by a gap, as seen in FIG.11B. With reference to FIG. 11C, a strip grinding process is performedto thin the EMC 417 to eliminate the gap and to almost entirelyeliminate the middle portions 412 c of the bond wires 412. In essence,each of the plurality of bond wires 412 is divided by the strip grindingprocess into first and second substantially vertical conductivestructures 415 a and 415 b, respectively, which comprise the compartmentEMI shield 415. Upper ends 415 a′ and 415 b′ of the first and secondsubstantially vertical conductive structures 415 a and 415 b,respectively, are exposed through the top surface 417 a of the EMC 416.

With reference to FIG. 11D, a top assembly EMI shield 418 is formed onthe top surface 417 a of the EMC 417. In accordance with thisrepresentative embodiment, the top assembly EMI shield 418 is in directcontact with the upper ends 415 a′ and 415 b′ of the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 415 a and 415 b. This obviates the needto electrically couple the top assembly EMI shield 418 to the commonelectrical ground structure 411. Thus, the thinning of the EMC 417 andthe elimination of the bond wires 412 in the thinned region of the EMC417 reduces the overall thickness (Z-dimension) of the system modulepackage 400 to enable thinner package form factors to be achieved.

The process of assembling the system module package 400 is typically asfollows. Wafer-level semiconductor fabrication processes are used toform the substrate 401 having the electrical contacts 407 and the soldermask 408 formed on the bottom surface 401 b thereof. The aforementionedSMT process is then performed. A wire bonding process is then performedto form the bond wires 412 that comprise the compartment EMI shield. Amolding process is then performed to form the EMC 417 that encapsulatesthe first and second electrical components 402 and 403, respectively,and the compartment EMI shield 415. The strip grinding process is thenperformed to expose the upper ends 415 a′ and 415 b′ of the first andsecond substantially vertical conductive structures 415 a and 415 b,respectively. The top assembly EMI shield 418 is then formed on the topsurface 417 a of the EMC 417.

It should be noted that although the substantially vertical conductivestructures 415 a and 415 b are described above as being formed of bondwires, they may be formed of other conductive materials and by processesother than wire bonding.

FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage 500 during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with another representative embodiment. Inaccordance with this representative embodiment, a wire bonding processis used to create the compartment EMI shield, as will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 12A-12C. FIG. 12A depicts a substrate 501 of thesystem module package 500 having a top surface 501 a on which first andsecond electrical components 502 and 503, respectively, of first andsecond sets of electrical components, respectively, are mounted using aknown SMT process. The first and second sets of electrical componentsinclude the first and second electrical components 502 and 503,respectively, but may also include additional components, such asadditional passive or active electrical or electronic components, forexample.

During the SMT process, the first and second electrical components 502and 503, respectively, are mounted at preselected locations on the topsurface 501 a of the substrate 501 and a solder reflow process isperformed to form electrical bonds between respective sets of electricalcontacts disposed on the top surface 501 a of the substrate 501 andfirst and second sets of electrical connection elements 505 and 506,respectively (e.g., solder balls). The first and second sets ofelectrical connection elements 505 and 506, respectively, are in contactwith respective electrical contacts of the first and second electricalcomponents 502 and 503, respectively. Prior to the SMT processes beingperformed, electrical contacts 507 and a solder mask 508 are typicallyformed on the bottom surface 501 b of the substrate 501. The solder mask508 comprises dielectric material that is disposed in between theelectrical contacts 507.

As part of the SMT process or as part of a separate process, a commonelectrical ground structure 511 is formed in or on the substrate 501.The common electrical ground structure 511 is shown in FIGS. 12A-12C asbeing disposed on the top surface 501 a of the substrate 501, but itcould instead be disposed beneath the top surface 501 a of the substrate501, or partially above and partially beneath the top surface 501 a ofthe substrate 501.

FIG. 12B depicts the portion of the system module package 500 shown inFIG. 12A after a fence comprising a plurality of substantially verticalconductive structures 512 has been formed along a compartment boundarythat defines a first compartment in which the first electrical component502 is mounted. The fence comprising the plurality of substantiallyvertical conductive structures 512 electrically coupled to the commonelectrical ground structure 511 is the compartment EMI shield 513. Inaccordance with this representative embodiment, the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 512 are bond wires formed via a knownwire bonding process after the SMT process has been performed.

In accordance with this representative embodiment, a first set of thebond wires comprising the substantially vertical conductive structures512 have first ends 512 a and second ends 512 b that are electricallycoupled to the common electrical ground structure 511 adjacent a firstside of the first electrical component 502. The first ends 512 a and thesecond ends 512 b are mechanically coupled to the top surface 501 a ofthe substrate 501 via the common electrical ground structure 511. Inaccordance with this representative embodiment, a second set of the bondwires comprising the substantially vertical conductive structures 512have first ends 512 c and second ends 512 d that are electricallycoupled to the common electrical ground structure 511 adjacent a secondside of the first electrical component 502. In similar manner,additional sets of the bond wires that are not shown for clarity may beincluded in the compartment EMI shield 513 along third and fourth sidesof the first electrical component 502 that are opposite one another andperpendicular to the first and second sides of the first electricalcomponent 502.

After the SMT and wire bonding processes have been performed, an EMC 517is formed to encapsulate the first and second electrical components 502and 503, respectively, and the substantially vertical conductivestructures 512. The EMC 517 has a top surface 517 a that is separatedfrom middle portions 512 e of the substantially vertical conductivestructures 512 by a gap, as seen in FIG. 12B. The middle portions 512 eare portions of the substantially vertical conductive structures 512that are farthest from the top surface 501 a of the substrate 501measured in the Z-direction (i.e., normal to the top surface 501 a).

With reference to FIG. 12C, a top assembly EMI shield 518 is formed onthe top surface 517 a of the EMC 517. In accordance with thisrepresentative embodiment, the top assembly EMI shield 518 is not indirect contact with the middle portions 512 e of the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 512, but is spaced apart from them by apreselected distance that is preselected based on a frequency ofinterest that the compartment EMI shield 513 is intended to attenuate.The top assembly EMI shield 518 is electrically coupled to the commonelectrical ground structure 511.

The process of assembling the system module package 500 is typically asfollows. Wafer-level semiconductor fabrication processes are used toform the substrate 501 having the electrical contacts 507 and the soldermask 508 formed on the bottom surface 501 b thereof. The aforementionedSMT process is then performed. A wire bonding process is then performedto form the bond wires comprising the substantially vertical conductivestructures 512. A molding process is then performed to form the EMC 517that encapsulates the first and second electrical components 502 and503, respectively, and the compartment EMI shield 513. The top assemblyEMI shield 518 is then formed on the top surface 517 a of the EMC 517.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate side views of a portion of a system modulepackage 600 during various stages of forming a compartment EMI shieldtherein in accordance with another representative embodiment. The systemmodule package 600 shown in FIGS. 13A-13C is substantially similar tothe system module package 500 shown in FIGS. 12A-12C but differs atleast in that the EMC 517 of the system module package 600 shown in FIG.13B has been thinned via the aforementioned strip grinding process toexpose the middle portions 512 e of the substantially verticalconductive structures 512 before the top assembly EMI shield 518 isformed on the top surface 517 a of the EMC 517.

FIG. 14 illustrates an end view of the system module packages 500 and600 shown in FIGS. 12B and 13B, respectively, which shows the first setof the bond wires comprising the substantially vertical conductivestructures 512 have first ends 512 a and second ends 512 b that areelectrically coupled to the common electrical ground structure 511adjacent the first side of the first electrical component 502. The firstand second ends 512 a and 512 b, respectively, may be directly connectedto the common electrical ground structure 511 or they may be directlyconnected to electrical bond pads, which are directly connected to thecommon electrical ground structure 511. In FIG. 14, the first and secondends 512 a and 512 b, respectively, are shown directly connected toelectrical bond pads 601, which are directly connected to the commonelectrical ground structure 511. In accordance with this representativeembodiment, the first set of bond wires comprising the substantiallyvertical conductive structures 512 lie in a fence plane 602 that issubstantially parallel to the Y-Z plane of the X, Y, Z Cartesiancoordinate system and substantially perpendicular to the top surface 501a of the substrate 501.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate side and top views, respectively, of thesystem module package 800 in accordance with another representativeembodiment. The system module package 800 is substantially similar tothe system module packages 500 and 600 shown in FIGS. 12B and 13B,respectively, but differs at least in that the substantially verticalconductive structures 512 have first ends 512 a that lie in a firstfence plane 612 and second ends 512 b that lie in a second fence plane613, where the first fence plane 612 and the second fence plane 613 aresubstantially parallel to one another, substantially parallel to the X-Zplane of the X, Y, Z Cartesian coordinate system and substantiallyperpendicular to the top surface 501 a of the substrate 501. The firstand second fence planes 612 and 613, respectively, define a fence regionthat is in between the first and second fence planes 612 and 613,respectively.

FIG. 16 illustrates a top view of the portion of the system modulepackage 800 shown in the dashed circle labeled with reference numeral620 in FIG. 15B. The substantially vertical conductive structures 512have middle portions 512 e that are at a preselected, non-zero-degreeangle, α, relative to the first and second fence planes 612 and 613,respectively. The preselected, non-zero-degree angle α is typically lessthan 30°. The distance in the Y-direction between the outside edges ofthe electrical bond pads 601 that are connected to the first and secondends 512 a and 512 b, respectively, is the width of the fence region,W_(FR). The substantially vertical conductive structures 512, which arebond wires in accordance with this representative embodiment, having awidth, W. The average width of the bond wires, W_(BW), is typically lessthan twenty micrometers (microns). The width of the fence region,W_(FR), is less than or equal to five times W_(BW).

In accordance with the representative embodiment shown in FIGS. 15A-16,an EMC (not shown) and a top assembly EMI shield (not shown) identicalto the EMC 517 and the top assembly EMI shield 518 shown in FIGS. 12B,12C, 13B and 13C may be used in the system module package 800, in whichcase the substantially vertical conductive structures 512 may be indirect contact with the top assembly EMI shield 518, as depicted in FIG.13C, or they may be spaced apart by a gap from the top assembly EMIshield 518, as depicted in FIG. 12C.

It should be noted that when bond wires are used to construct thecompartment EMI shields in the various representative embodimentsdescribed above, the ends of the bond wires may be directly connected tothe common electrical ground structure or they be connected to electricbond pads, which are directly or indirectly connected to the commonelectrical ground structure. As indicated above, the common electricalground structure may be disposed above, beneath, partially above, andpartially beneath the top surface of the substrate. It should also benoted that a top surface of the common electrical ground structure maybe co-planar with the top surface of the substrate. It should also benoted that in embodiments in which the substantially vertical conductivestructures are exposed through the top surface of the EMC and are incontact with the top assembly EMI shield, the opposite ends of thesubstantially vertical conductive structures do not need to beelectrically coupled to a common electrical ground structure if the topassembly EMI shield is electrically coupled to an electrical groundstructure of the system module package.

FIG. 17 illustrates a side view of one of the plurality of substantiallyvertical conductive structures 215 shown in FIG. 9B. As indicated above,the plurality of substantially vertical conductive structures 215 are“substantially vertical” in that the highest point 641 on each verticalconductive structure 215 is at a height, H, from the top surface 201 aof the substrate 201 measured in a direction substantially normal(Z-direction) to the top surface 201 a of the substrate 201 that is atleast twice as great as the lateral distance, D_(L), of the highestpoint 641 measured in a direction substantially parallel to the topsurface 201 a of the substrate 201 from a center 642 of the first end215 a of the vertical conductive structure 215.

FIG. 18 illustrates a side view of one of the substantially verticalconductive structures 415 a shown in FIG. 11C. The vertical conductivestructures 415 a are “substantially vertical” in that the highest point644 on each vertical conductive structure 415 a is at a height, H, fromthe top surface 401 a of the substrate 401 measured in a directionsubstantially normal (Z-direction) to the top surface 401 a of thesubstrate 401 that is at least twice as great as the lateral distance,D_(L), of the highest point 644 measured in a direction substantiallyparallel to the top surface 401 a of the substrate 401 from a center 645of the first end 412 a of the vertical conductive structure 415 a. Thecenter of the common electrical ground structure 411 is at a point alongthe X-axis where a plane that is parallel to the Y-Z plane bisects thecommon electrical ground structure 411. The lateral distance D_(L), isless than or equal to three times the width, W, of the common electricalground structure 411, which may be, for example, a conductive strip.

FIG. 19 illustrates a side view of one of the substantially verticalconductive structures 512 shown in FIG. 14. The substantially verticalconductive structures 512 are “substantially vertical” in that thehighest point 646 on each of the substantially vertical conductivestructures 512 is at a height, H, from the top surface 501 a of thesubstrate 501 measured in a direction substantially normal (Z-direction)to the top surface 501 a of the substrate 501 that is at least twice asgreat as the lateral distances, D_(L1) and D_(L2), of the highest point646 from centers 647 and 648, respectively, of the first and second ends512 a and 512 b, respectively, of the each of the substantiallyvertically conductive structures 512 measured in a directionsubstantially parallel to the top surface 501 a of the substrate 501.

FIG. 20 illustrates a side view of first and second substantiallyvertical conductive structures 651 and 652, respectively, after themiddle portions 512 e of the substantially vertical conductivestructures 512 shown in FIG. 14 have been removed via the aforementionedstrip grinding process. The first and second substantially verticalconductive structures 651 and 652 are “substantially vertical” in thatthe highest points 654 and 655 on each of the first and secondsubstantially vertical conductive structures 651 and 652, respectively,are at a height, H, from the top surface 501 a of the substrate 501measured in a direction substantially normal (Z-direction) to the topsurface 501 a of the substrate 501 that is at least twice as great asfirst and second lateral distances, D_(L1) and D_(L2), respectively, ofthe highest points 654 and 655, respectively, from centers 656 and 657,respectively, of the first and second ends 512 a and 512 b,respectively, measured in a direction substantially parallel to the topsurface 501 a of the substrate 501.

FIG. 21 illustrates a bottom view of the compartment EMI shield 80 shownin FIGS. 5-7 in accordance with a representative embodiment in which thecompartment EMI shield 80 comprises a wire cage 700. The wire cage 700may be a pre-formed structure that is pre-formed and subsequentlyinstalled in a system module package. FIG. 22A illustrates a side viewof a system module package 800 that incorporates the wire cage 700 shownin FIG. 21. FIG. 22B illustrates a side view of a system module package800 shown in FIG. 22A that incorporates the wire cage 700 shown in FIG.21 in accordance with a representative embodiment in which the wire cage700 is in contact with a top assembly EMI shield 810 of the systemmodule package 800. FIG. 22C illustrates a side view of a system modulepackage 800 shown in FIG. 22A that incorporates the wire cage 700 shownin FIG. 21 in accordance with a representative embodiment in which thewire cage 700 is spaced apart from the top assembly EMI shield 810 ofthe system module package 800 by a preselected distance.

With reference to FIG. 21, the wire cage 700 comprises a conductive base701 having first, second, third and fourth conductive horizontal bars701 a, 701 b, 701 c and 701 d, respectively. The first˜fourth conductivehorizontal bars 701 a-701 d may be connected together end-to-end via aprocess such as welding, for example, or the conductive base 701 may bean integrally-formed, unitary part such that ends of adjacent conductivehorizontal bars 701 a-701 d are integrally joined. A plurality ofconductive rails 702 are electrically coupled to the conductive base701. In accordance with a representative embodiment, each of theconductive rails 702 is a bond wire having first and second ends thatare electrically coupled to a bottom surface 701 e of the conductivebase 701.

With reference to FIG. 22A, when the wire cage 700 is installed in thesystem module package 800, the conductive rails 702 that areelectrically coupled to the first, second, third and fourth conductivehorizontal bars 701 a, 701 b, 701 c and 701 d, respectively, are infirst, second, third and fourth fence planes, respectively, that aresubstantially perpendicular to the top surface 801 a of the substrate801. The first, second, third and fourth fence planes define first,second, third and fourth sides, respectively, of a compartment boundary.Thus, each of the conductive rails 702 is in one of the first, secondthird and fourth fence planes. A first set of electrical components ismounted on the top surface 801 a of the substrate 801 in a firstcompartment and a second set of electrical components is mounted on thetop surface 801 a of the substrate 801 in a second compartment, which isexternal to the first compartment. For illustrative purposes, the firstand second sets of electrical components are shown in FIGS. 22A-22C asconsisting of first and second electrical components 802 and 803,respectively.

In accordance with this representative embodiment, each of theconductive rails 702 has a middle portion that is in contact with arespective electrical bond pad 805 that couples the respectiveconductive rail 702 to the top surface 801 a of the substrate 801. Therespective electrical bond pad 805 is electrically coupled to a commonvoltage potential. In other words, each of the conductive rails 702 iselectrically connected to the common voltage potential via therespective electrical bond pad 805. As the first˜fourth conductivehorizontal bars 701 a, 701 b, 701 c and 701 d are connected to theconductive rails 702, the first˜fourth conductive horizontal bars 701 a,701 b, 701 c and 701 d are electrically connected to the common voltagepotential.

In another embodiment, only a first set (not all) of the conductiverails 702 are connected directly to the corresponding electrical bondpads 805 to establish electrical connections to the common voltagepotential. Through the first set of the conductive rails 702, thefirst˜fourth conductive horizontal bars 701 a, 701 b, 701 c and 701 dare connected to the common voltage potential. The remaining conductiverails 702 in a second set which are not connected directly to anelectrical bond pad 705 are connected to the first˜fourth conductivehorizontal bars 701 a, 701 b, 701 c and 701 d. In this way, the secondset of conductive rails 702 are connected to the common voltagepotential via the first˜fourth conductive horizontal bars 701 a, 701 b,701 c and 701 d.

While FIG. 22A shows the conductive rails 702 being indirectly coupledto the substrate 801 via the electrical bond pads 805, the conductiverails 702 could instead be directly coupled to the substrate 801. In theinstalled position of the wire cage 700 shown in FIG. 22A, theconductive base 701 is positioned above the top surface 801 a of thesubstrate 801 and separated therefrom by a preselected distance, D. Inthe installed position of the wire cage 700 shown in FIG. 22A, thebottom surface 701 e of the conductive base 701 is substantiallyparallel to the top surface 801 a of the substrate 801. In other words,the conductive base 701 is arranged on a horizontal plane that is inparallel to, but distanced away from, the top surface 801 a of thesubstrate 801. The conductive rails 702 have similar heights(Z-direction).

With reference to FIG. 22B, after an EMC 808 has been formed toencapsulate the first and second electrical components 802 and 803,respectively, and the wire cage 700, the aforementioned strip grindingprocess is performed to thin the EMC 808 to expose the conductive base701. A top assembly EMI shield 810 is then formed on or in the EMC 808such that the top assembly EMI shield 810 is in contact with theconductive base 701.

With reference to FIG. 22C, after the EMC 808 has been formed toencapsulate the first and second electrical components 802 and 803,respectively, and the wire cage 700, the top assembly EMI shield 810 isformed on or in the EMC 808 such that the top assembly EMI shield 810 isspaced apart from the conductive base 701 by a preselected distance.

As indicated above with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, in accordancewith another representative embodiment, the substantially verticalconductive structures of the compartment EMI shield are respectivesemiconductor packages arranged along a compartment boundary and formingthe conductive fence of the compartment EMI shield that separates thefirst compartment from the second compartment, as will be describedbelow in more detail with reference to FIGS. 23-27B. FIG. 23 illustratesa top view of a portion of a system module package 900 having asubstrate 901, a first electrical component 902 of a first set ofelectrical components mounted on a top surface 901 a of the substrate901, and having a plurality of semiconductor packages 903 arranged alonga compartment boundary and forming the conductive fence 904 of thecompartment EMI shield that separates the first compartment 905 from thesecond compartment (not shown for clarity). The plurality ofsemiconductor packages 903 correspond to the substantially verticalconductive structures 98 shown in FIG. 7 that comprise the conductivefence 81 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 24 illustrates a top view of a portion of a system module package900 shown in FIG. 23 having a plurality of conductive horizontal bars911 having first ends 911 a that are electrically coupled to respectivesemiconductor packages 903 arranged along a side of the firstcompartment 905 and having second ends 911 b that are electricallycoupled to respective semiconductor packages 903 arranged along adifferent side of the first compartment 905 such that the conductivehorizontal bars 911 extend over the first electrical component 902. Theplurality of conductive horizontal bars 911 comprise the substantiallyhorizontal conductive structure 85 shown in FIGS. 5-7, where eachconductive horizontal bar 911 corresponds to the conductive horizontalbar 97 shown in FIG. 7. Adjacent conductive horizontal bars 911 arespaced apart from one another by a pitch, P, that is preselected basedat least in part of the frequency of interest, or frequency range ofinterest, that is to be attenuated by the compartment EMI shield. Theconductive horizontal bars 911 are arranged in a plane that issubstantially horizontal to the top surface 901 a of the substrate 901and are typically parallel to one another.

The compartment EMI shield, in accordance with this representativeembodiment, comprises the conductive fence 904, which is made up of thesemiconductor packages 903 arranged along the compartment boundary, andthe substantially horizontal conductive structure, which is made up ofthe plurality of conductive horizontal bars 911.

FIG. 25 illustrates a side view of the portion of the system modulepackage 900 shown in FIG. 23 without the plurality of conductivehorizontal bars 911 shown in FIG. 24. FIG. 26 illustrates an end view ofthe portion of system module package 900 shown in FIG. 24 that includesthe plurality of conductive horizontal bars 911. With reference to theside view shown in FIG. 25, in accordance with a representativeembodiment, each of the semiconductor packages 903 is a dummysemiconductor package that has no electrical functionality. Inaccordance with this embodiment, each semiconductor package 903 has twoexposed conductive plates 903 a and 903 b that extend in respectiveplanes that are substantially parallel to one another and substantiallyperpendicular to the top surface 901 a of the substrate 901.

In accordance with an embodiment, each semiconductor package 903 has anon-conductive body 903 c comprising non-conductive material (i.e.,dielectric material) such that each semiconductor package 903 is devoidof electrical functionality. In accordance with another representativeembodiment, each semiconductor package 903 has a passive electricalcomponent encapsulated in the non-conductive body 903 c andinterconnecting the respective two exposed conductive plates 903 a and903 ba, as depicted in FIG. 25. The passive electrical component may be,for example, one or more of a resistor 903 d, a capacitor 903 e, and aninductor 903 f, as depicted in FIG. 25.

With reference to the end view shown in FIG. 26, first ends 903 g ofeach of the semiconductor packages 903 are coupled to the top surface901 a of the substrate 901 or to electrical bond pads (not shown)disposed on the top surface 901 a of the substrate 901. Second ends 903h of each of the semiconductor packages 903 are coupled to either thefirst end 911 a or the second end 911 b of a respective conductivehorizontal bar 911. Each semiconductor package 903 has a height, H_(SP),corresponding to a distance of its second end 903 h from the top surface901 a of the substrate 901 in a direction substantially normal to thetop surface 901 a of the substrate 901 that is greater than a height,H_(FEC), of the first electrical component 902, which is also measuredfrom the top surface 901 a of the substrate 901 in a directionsubstantially normal to the top surface 901 a of the substrate 901.Actually, each semiconductor package has a height that is greater thanthe height of the tallest electrical component of the first set ofelectrical components, but the first set of electrical components isshown in FIGS. 23-26 as consisting only of the first electricalcomponent 902. The height H_(SP) of the semiconductor packages 903 istypically equal, or substantially equal, for all of the semiconductorpackages 903.

FIG. 27A illustrates a side view of a system module package 950 inaccordance with a representative embodiment that employs the compartmentEMI shield described above with reference to FIGS. 23-26 comprising thesemiconductor packages 903 and the conductive horizontal bars 911. Afteran EMC 951 has been formed to encapsulate the first and secondelectrical components 902 and 953, respectively, and the semiconductorpackages 903 and conductive horizontal bars 911 comprising thecompartment EMI shield, the aforementioned strip grinding process isperformed to thin the EMC 951 to expose the conductive horizontal bars911. A top assembly EMI shield 952 is then formed on or in the EMC 951such that the top assembly EMI shield 952 is in contact with theconductive horizontal bars 911.

FIG. 27B illustrates a side view of a system module package 950 inaccordance with another representative embodiment that employs thecompartment EMI shield described above with reference to FIGS. 23-26comprising the semiconductor packages 903 and the conductive horizontalbars 911. After an EMC 951 has been formed to encapsulate the first andsecond electrical components 902 and 953, respectively, and thesemiconductor packages 903 and conductive horizontal bars 911 comprisingthe compartment EMI shield, the top assembly EMI shield 952 is formed onor in the EMC 951 such that the top assembly EMI shield 952 is incontact with the conductive horizontal bars 911. Because no thinning ofthe EMC 951 has been performed, the conductive horizontal bars 911 aredisposed at a preselected distance away from the top assembly EMI shield952.

It should be noted that the illustrative embodiments have been describedwith reference to a few embodiments for the purpose of demonstrating theprinciples and concepts of the invention. Persons of skill in the artwill understand how the principles and concepts of the invention can beapplied to other embodiments not explicitly described herein. Forexample, while the compartment EMI shields and the first compartmentsare shown as being rectangular in shape, they can have virtually anydesired shape. Also, while the substantially vertical and horizontalconductive structures have been shown and described as having a fewdifferent shapes and configurations, they may have other shapes andconfigurations. As will be understood by those skilled in the art inview of the description being provided herein, many modifications may bemade to the embodiments described herein while still achieving the goalsof the invention, and all such modifications are within the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system module package comprising: a substrate;a first compartment comprising at least a first electrical componentdisposed on a top surface of the substrate; a second compartmentcomprising at least a second electrical component disposed on the topsurface of the substrate external to the first compartment; and acompartment electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield comprising a fencecomprising a plurality of bond wires arranged along a compartmentboundary and forming the fence, wherein the fence extends substantiallyvertically relative to the top surface of the substrate, the fence beingconfigured to attenuate EMI of a frequency of interest traveling in atleast one of a first direction and a second direction, the firstdirection being from the first electrical component toward the secondelectrical component, the second direction being from the secondelectrical component toward the first electrical component, and whereineach of the plurality of bond wires has at least a first end that ismechanically coupled to the top surface of the substrate and a secondend that is at a preselected distance away from the first end, andwherein at least one of the second ends of the plurality of bond wireshas a tail portion that is substantially thinner than other portions ofthe bond wire.
 2. The system module package of claim 1, furthercomprising an encapsulating mold compound that encapsulates at least thefirst electrical component and the compartment EMI shield.
 3. The systemmodule package of claim 2, wherein the second ends of the plurality ofbond wires are substantially coplanar with a top surface of theencapsulating mold compound.
 4. The system module package of claim 2,wherein the second ends of the plurality of bond wires are exposedthrough the top surface of the encapsulating mold compound.
 5. Thesystem module package of claim 2, further comprising a top assembly EMIshield disposed over the encapsulating mold compound.
 6. The systemmodule package of claim 5, wherein the second ends of the plurality ofbond wires are electrically coupled to the top assembly EMI shield. 7.The system module package of claim 5, wherein the plurality of bondwires forming the fence extend vertically in a fence plane, and each ofthe plurality of bond wires comprises a top portion which bendsoutwardly from the fence plane towards the first compartment.
 8. Thesystem module package of claim 2, further comprising a conductive stripconfigured to provide a common return path for electric current, andwherein the plurality of bond wires are electrically coupled to theconductive strip.
 9. The system module package of claim 8, wherein theconductive strip comprises at least a first portion that extends along afirst side of the first electrical component and is spaced apart fromthe first electrical component by a preselected distance.
 10. The systemmodule package of claim 8, wherein the conductive strip comprises atleast a first portion that extends along a first side of the firstelectrical component and a second portion that extends along a secondside of the first electrical component, wherein the plurality of bondwires comprises a first set of bond wires electrically coupled to thefirst portion of the conductive strip and a second set of bond wireselectrically coupled to the second portion of the conductive strip. 11.The system module package of claim 10, wherein the first side of thefirst electrical component is orthogonal to the second side of the firstelectrical component.
 12. The system module package of claim 2, furthercomprising a top assembly EMI shield disposed over the encapsulatingmold compound, wherein the plurality of bond wires are physicallyseparated from, but electrically coupled to, the top assembly EMIshield.
 13. The system module package of claim 1, further comprising aplurality of electrical bond pads disposed on the top surface of thesubstrate, and wherein each of the plurality of bond wires comprises afirst end and a second end, and wherein the first and second ends ofeach bond wire are connected to respective electrical bond pads.
 14. Asystem module package comprising: a substrate; a first compartmentcomprising at least a first electrical component disposed on a topsurface of the substrate; a second compartment comprising at least asecond electrical component disposed on the top surface of the substrateexternal to the first compartment; a compartment electromagneticinterference (EMI) shield comprising a fence comprising a plurality ofbond wires arranged along a compartment boundary and forming the fence,wherein the fence extends substantially vertically relative to the topsurface of the substrate, the fence being configured to attenuate EMI ofa frequency of interest traveling in at least one of a first directionand a second direction, the first direction being from the firstelectrical component toward the second electrical component, the seconddirection being from the second electrical component toward the firstelectrical component, and wherein each of the plurality of bond wireshas a first end that is mechanically coupled to the top surface of thesubstrate and has a second end that is at a preselected distance awayfrom the first end; an encapsulating mold compound that encapsulates atleast the first electrical component and the compartment EMI shield; anda top assembly EMI shield disposed over the encapsulating mold compound,wherein the plurality of bond wires are physically separated from, butelectrically coupled to, the top assembly EMI shield.
 15. The systemmodule package of claim 14, wherein the fence extends around theentirety of the first electrical component.
 16. A system module packagecomprising: a substrate; a first electrical component and a secondelectrical component disposed on a top surface of the substrate; and aplurality of bond wires disposed adjacent to at least a first side ofthe first electrical component and in between the first and secondelectrical components, the plurality of bond wires being configured toattenuate EMI of a frequency of interest traveling from the firstelectrical component toward the second electrical component, or from thesecond electrical component toward the first electrical component, andwherein each of the plurality of bond wires has at least a first endthat is mechanically coupled to the top surface of the substrate,adjacent first ends of the plurality of bond wires being spaced apartfrom each other by a pitch, and wherein at least one side of the firstelectrical component has a width that is smaller than the pitch.
 17. Thesystem module package of claim 16, further comprising an encapsulatingmold compound that encapsulates the first electrical component, andwherein each of the plurality of bond wires further comprises a topportion having a highest point that is at a height, H, and wherein thehighest points of the plurality of bond wires are substantially coplanarwith a top surface of the encapsulating mold compound.
 18. The systemmodule package of claim 17, wherein the highest points of the pluralityof bond wires are exposed through the encapsulating mold compound. 19.The system module package of claim 17, further comprising a top assemblyEMI shield disposed over the encapsulating mold compound, and whereinthe highest points of the plurality of bond wires are electricallycoupled to the top assembly EMI shield.
 20. The system module package ofclaim 16, further comprising a conductive strip configured to provide acommon return path for electrical current, and wherein the first ends ofthe plurality of bond wires are electrically coupled to the sameconductive strip.